start page: 241 Stellenbosch Theological Journal 2016, Vol 2, No 1, 241–259 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17570/stj.2016.v2n1.a12 Online ISSN 2413-9467 | Print ISSN 2413-9459 2016 © Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust Old Testament stories and Christian ethics: Some perspectives from the narrative of Judah and Tamar Meyer, Esias University of Pretoria
[email protected] Pietersen, Leonore University of Pretoria
[email protected] Abstract The relationship between Old Testament narrative and Christian ethics is challenging. When it comes to finding ethical guideline Old Testament narratives are unresponsive. This is particularly the case with a narrative such as Genesis 38. Biblical scholars have written extensively on how the text can be interpreted. In this article we look at the various ways scholars in Biblical criticism have tried to make sense of the text. We show that narratives can function as a platform for dialogue to mirror the intricacies of life. We do not attempt to resolve the tension between the story and ethics, but rather aim to consider biblical criticism as a tool which stimulates ethical debate. Keywords Judah, Tamar, Old Testament stories, Christian ethics 1. Introduction In John Barton’s recent book Ethics in Ancient Israel he reminds us that ‘Old Testament narrative is well known to be sometimes reticent in drawing moral conclusions from the stories it presents’ (2014:171). This unresponsiveness of Old Testament narratives has been a problem for biblical critics and Christian ethicists alike and the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 is a case in point, although one wonders whether this story is really so ‘reticent’.